Parachute harness container with bio-contoured load distributing vest

ABSTRACT

A harness container for a parachutist has a bio-contoured support cradle or load distributing vest. The load distributing vest, which is generally U-shaped and includes an upper yoke and two straps integral with the yoke, has a multi-layer construction that includes an outer layer and an inner layer mounted on a bio-contoured pad. The outer layer and the inner layer are of corresponding shape and are sewn to one another along a reinforced edging with the pad therebetween. The upper yoke is attached to the front side of the harness container and the ends of the vest straps are attached to the main lift webs so that the vest elevates the harness container and distributes the load thereof across the jumper&#39;s shoulders, back and chest for increased comfort.

This application is a continuation of co-pending U.S. application Ser.No. 13/632,304 filed Oct. 1, 2012, which claimed priority from U.S.Provisional application, Ser. No. 61/541,555, filed Sep. 30, 2011, andhereby claims the priority thereof to which it is entitled.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention is related to the field of manned parachutes and,more particularly, to a parachute harness container with a bio-contouredload distributing support cradle or vest.

2. Description of the Related Art

A parachutist wearing a conventional parachute harness container bearsall of the weight of the harness container upon a small load bearingarea on the tops of his or her shoulders where the harness straps passover the clavicle area. Given the weight of the harness container andthe length of time that the parachutist must often wear the harness andharness container in readiness for and prior to a jump, these two narrowload-bearing points create considerable pressure leading to discomfortand fatigue.

In addition, a parachutist wearing a conventional parachute containermay have limited head movement due to interference between theparachutist's helmet and the top flap of the reserve container. Thisinterference can limit the parachutist's situational awareness as theparachutist may not be able to turn his or her head sufficiently to seeall of the surrounding area.

Therefore, a need exists for an improved harness container that betterdistributes the load of the harness container on the upper torso toincrease the parachutist's comfort and increase the ease and range ofmotion of the jumper's head. The terms “parachutist” and “jumper” areused interchangeably throughout this description.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing, the present invention is directed to abio-contoured load distributing vest or support cradle for a harnesscontainer and to a harness container having such a bio-contoured loaddistributing vest or support cradle. The load distributing vest isgenerally U-shaped and includes an upper yoke and two straps integralwith the yoke. The vest includes inner and outer layers mounted on abio-contoured pad that is sandwiched in the middle between the outer andinner layers. The bio-contoured pad distributes the weight of theharness container over a wider area across the jumper's shoulders andupper back to eliminate pressure points commonly seen with conventionalparachute harness containers and thereby increase the jumper's comfort.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide aparachute harness container having a bio-contoured load distributingvest that distributes the weight of the harness container over a widerarea across the jumper's shoulders and upper back to eliminate pressurepoints commonly encountered with conventional parachute harnesscontainers and thereby to increase the jumper's comfort.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a parachuteharness container with a bio-contoured load distributing vest for aparachutist that increases safety and comfort while maintaining astandard harness architecture to minimize transitional training.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a bio-contouredload distributing vest for a parachute harness container in accordancewith the preceding objects that aligns and raises the harness containeralong the vertical axis of the parachutist's body and reduces thepressure on the lower back.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide abio-contoured load distributing vest for a parachute harness containerin accordance with the preceding objects that stabilizes the harnesscontainer during body movement, both on the ground and in freefall.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a bio-contouredload distributing vest for a parachute harness container in accordancewith the preceding objects in which the design of the bio-contoured vestyoke prevents interference between the parachutist's helmet and the topflap of the reserve container, providing the parachutist with themaximum range of head movement and thereby increasing the parachutist'ssituational awareness.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide abio-contoured load distributing vest for a parachute harness containerin accordance with the preceding objects that can be either integratedwith the harness container during manufacture or retrofitted intoexisting or legacy harness containers.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a harnesscontainer with a bio-contoured load distributing vest in accordance withthe preceding objects that is not complex in structure and which can bemanufactured at low cost but yet offers excellent comfort and ergonomicfit while providing safe and reliable performance.

These together with other objects and advantages which will becomesubsequently apparent reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, whereinlike numerals refer to like parts throughout.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a photograph of a load distributing vest or support cradle inaccordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a drawing of a cross section of the load distributing vesttaken along line A-A of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a photograph showing a side view of the load distributing vestshown in FIG. 1 as integrated with a harness container and positioned ona jumper.

FIG. 4 is a photograph of the front side of the harness container whichis in contact with the jumper's back when the harness container is worn,with the load distributing vest shown in FIG. 1 sewn onto thecontainer's front side according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a photograph of the harness container and load distributingvest shown in FIG. 4, rotated about 45 degrees to show the relationshipbetween one of the load distributing vest straps and the main lift webof the parachute harness container.

FIG. 6 is a photograph showing the jumper-contacting underside of a loaddistributing vest strap as received within a guide panel sewn onto theinner surface of the main lift web of the parachute harness container.

FIG. 7 is a drawing depicting a side view of the load distributing vestshown in FIG. 1, showing a first connection point with the harnesscontainer along the yoke of the load distributing vest and a secondconnection point with the main lift web at the end of one of the loaddistributing vest straps.

FIG. 8 is a right-side photograph of a jumper wearing a harnesscontainer equipped with a load distributing vest according to thepresent invention, showing how the load distributing vest fits againstthe parachutist's shoulders and elevates the harness container.

FIG. 9 is a left-side photograph of a jumper wearing an existing orlegacy harness container, showing the difference in the position of theharness container as compared with that obtained with the vest of thepresent invention as shown in FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a computer simulation drawing showing the broadened load andpressure distribution area on a jumper's shoulders which is created bythe load distributing vest according to the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a computer simulation drawing showing the narrow load bearingarea experienced by a jumper when wearing a legacy harness container.

FIG. 12 is a photograph showing the yoke of the load distributing vestin accordance with the present invention and provided with an oxygenhose housing for managing the position of an oxygen hose during highaltitude jumps.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In describing a preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in theaccompanying photographs and drawings, specific terminology will beresorted to for the sake of clarity. However, the invention is notintended to be limited to the specific terms so selected, and it is tobe understood that each specific term includes all technical equivalentswhich operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose.

As shown in FIG. 1, the present invention is directed to a supportcradle or load distributing vest generally designated by referencenumeral 10. The load distributing vest 10 is generally U-shaped andincludes a generally rectangular upper yoke 12 and two elongated straps14 extending from and, preferably integral with, the upper yoke 12.

As shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 2, the load distributingvest 10 has a multi-layer construction that includes an outer layer 16and an inner layer 18 mounted on a bio-contoured pad 20 that issandwiched in the middle between the outer and inner layers 16, 18. Theouter layer 16 and the inner layer 18 are of corresponding shape and aresewn to one another along a reinforced edging 22 to contain the padtherebetween. The outer and inner layers 16, 18 are made of a durable,non-stretch fabric material such as the material used to make theharness container 30 (see FIG. 3). According to the illustratedembodiment, the outer layer of fabric is nylon duck per specificationMIL-C-43734, commonly referred to as CORDURA® brand fabric. The innerlayer of fabric is nylon duck per specification PIA-C-7219, commonlyreferred to as para-pack. Other suitable fabric materials for use on aparachutist harness container where strength must be maximized andweight minimized could also be used as would be known to persons ofordinary skill in the art.

The load distributing vest 10 further includes two lengths of loadbearing shoulder webbing 24, each of which extends along the entirelength of the straps 14, respectively, and across the width of the upperyoke 12 along the outer sides 23 thereof, as shown in FIG. 1. As shown,the lower ends 46 of the webbing 24 extend beyond the padded straps 14.The webbing 24 is secured to the outer layer 16, preferably by stitchingas would be known by persons of skill in the art. Sewing only the outerlayer of webbing is preferable to avoid compression of the underlyingfoam layers which would diminish user comfort. As used herein, the term“load distributing vest straps” refers to the combination of the outerand inner layers 16, 18, the pad 20 and the full length of theload-bearing webbing 24 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and identified byreference numeral 14.

The bio-contoured pad 20 is preferably constructed of several layers ofmulti-density foam. Multi-density foam is a preferred material as it islight in weight and provides excellent cushioning and load distribution.According to one embodiment, the pad has two layers including an outerlayer 19 and an inner layer 21. The outer layer 19 can be made ofhigh-density VOLARA® brand 6A foam and is preferably about ⅛th inch inthickness. This outer layer is positioned between the load bearingshoulder webbing 24 and the inner, comfort layer 21 of foam to spreadthe load from the straps into the comfort layer. The inner, comfortlayer 21 has a density less than that of the outer layer and maypreferably be made of SBE41VN foam rubber about ¼ inch in thickness.With the thickness levels specified, the combined thickness of the padis about ⅜th of an inch. Other compressible,pressure-absorbing/distributing materials could also be used to providea pad with suitable cushioning levels to the load distributing vest 10.Depending upon the specific materials used for the inner and outerlayers, the thickness of each layer may be greater or lesser asdetermined by the properties of the materials used in order to obtainthe desired load distribution effect in accordance with the presentinvention.

As shown in FIGS. 3-6, the load distributing vest 10 is used incombination with a parachute harness container 30 and distributes theweight of the parachute container 30 over a much broader area of theparachutist's body 32 (see FIGS. 3, 10 and 11) than does a conventionalharness container. The upper yoke 12 is secured to the upper front side34 of the parachute harness container 30 so that the load distributingvest straps 14 extend from the neck-facing edge 36 of the yoke 12, asshown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The load distributing vest straps 14 are thenaligned with the main lift webs 40 on each side of the parachute harnesscontainer 30 so as to run substantially parallel with and under the mainlift webs 40.

To ensure that the load distributing vest straps 14 remain in properalignment with the main lift webs 40, a guide panel 42 is sewn onto theinner surface of each of the main lift webs 40. The guide panel 42 issewn along its longitudinal edges 44 to form a channel with webs 40through which the load bearing webbing 24 of the load distributing veststraps 14 is threaded as shown in FIG. 6. The free ends 46 of the loadbearing webbing 24 are then sewn or otherwise secured to the inside ofthe main lift webs 40 as shown in FIG. 6. The guide panels 42 arepreferably positioned adjacent the rip cord handle mechanism 50 which issecured to the outer surface of the main lift web as is known in theart.

The length of the load distributing vest 10 from the point of itsattachment 41 at the upper yoke 12 to the free ends 46 of the loaddistributing vest straps 14 is less than the distance between theyoke-attachment point on the container 43 and the point 45 on the mainlift web 40 where the strap free ends 46 are attached, as measured fromthe front side 34 of the harness container and along the inner side 47of the harness container straps (see FIG. 7). As a result, when theharness container 30 with the load distributing vest 10 is worn, theload distributing vest 10 fits against the parachutist's shoulders andchest while the harness container straps above the vest straps aresomewhat “loose”. In addition, because the load distributing vestincludes the bio-contoured pad which is layered within both the yoke andthe straps, the padding that would normally be included on the straps ofa conventional harness container is not necessary when the loaddistributing vest 10 is incorporated within a harness containeraccording to the present invention.

With respect to the above stated relationship between the length of theload distributing vest from the point of its attachment at the upperyoke to the free ends of the load distributing vest straps as being lessthan the distance between the yoke-attachment point on the container andthe point on the main lift web where the strap free ends are attached,it is possible to install a vest without this relationship. Such a vestmay provide comfort beyond that of a standard harness, but the loaddistribution provided by the present invention cannot be achieved.

The load distributing support cradle or vest is sized for use with aconventional harness container. Therefore, the length of the straps isappropriate to enable the straps to run concurrently with the harnesscontainer straps and be layered therewith on the side contacting thejumper as described above. According to the illustrated embodiment, theload distributing vest is about 22 inches in length from the outer edge37 of the upper yoke 12 to the strap ends 46. The substantiallyrectangular yoke is preferably about 12 inches wide as measured betweenthe outer sides 23, and has a length of about 5.5 inches from the outeredge 37 to the neck-facing edge 36. The width of the straps 14 ispreferably between about 2.0 and about 3.0 inches, more preferably about2.5 inches. The length of the padded portion of the straps 14 is betweenabout 12 inches and about 16 inches in length, more preferably about 14inches in length, while the load bearing webbing 24 that extends fromthe padded portion of the straps 14 is generally about 2-4 inches inlength. The thickness of the pad, including the outer layer 19 and theinner layer 21, is preferably between about ⅜th inches and about onehalf inch. While these dimensions are provided, it is to be understoodthat the dimensions of the vest components as defined could vary withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention.

The fit of the support cradle or vest 10 in relationship with thedimensions of the harness container 30 elevates the harness container 30above the vest straps 14 as shown in FIG. 8. The elevated position ofthe harness container 30 as shown in FIG. 8 is made more evident whencontrasted with the fit of an existing or legacy harness container 31 asshown in FIG. 9. The comparison provided by FIGS. 8 and 9 also confirmsthat the elevated position does not meaningfully change the optimalplacement position of ripcord 50.

In elevating the harness container, the load distributing vest 10 alsospaces the top flap 52 of the harness container 30 away from theparachutist's head. This spacing, combined with the shape of the reservefree bag, provides the jumper with maximum head movement and preventsinteraction of the parachutist's helmet with the top flap of thecontainer. By adding range of motion to the parachutist's head, thejumper has increased situational awareness, increasing jumper safety.

The improved pressure distribution in the shoulder and yoke area whichis provided by the load distributing vest 10 of the present invention isshown in the computer simulated images of FIGS. 10 and 11. FIG. 10illustrates the pressure distribution area 60 on the jumper when theharness container 30 (not shown in FIG. 10) is equipped with the loaddistributing vest 10 according to the present invention. FIG. 11illustrates the pressure distribution of a legacy harness container 31(not shown in FIG. 11), with the load being borne across two narrowareas 62 on the upper part of the jumper's shoulders. As evident fromthese two images, the load distributing vest 10 greatly increases theload bearing area 60, distributing the weight of the harness container30 across the jumper's shoulders. In addition to distributing the load,the load distributing vest 10 also realigns and raises the harnesscontainer 30 along the vertical axis of the body, reducing pressure onthe lower back.

The load distributing vest 10 may further include an oxygen hose housing70 (see FIGS. 1 and 12) for managing the position of an oxygen hose 72when needed for high altitude jumps. As shown in FIG. 12, the oxygenhose housing 70 is attached to the yoke 12 of the vest 10 and provides achannel through the hose 72 can pass to maintain the hose in a desiredplacement position.

An additional benefit of the load distributing vest 10 is that the veststabilizes the harness container 30 during body movement, both on theground and in freefall. In particular, when using the vest 10, thejumper's body movements do not directly translate into a correspondingshift in the position of the harness container. Rather, theparachutist's body movements are absorbed across the load distributingvest, lessening the impact of such movements on the position of theharness container and the resulting fatigue of the parachutist in tryingto reposition the harness.

The load distributing vest 10 as described herein may be retrofitted tofit any legacy harness container by sewing the upper yoke 12 to thefront side 34 of the container 30, running the vest straps 14concurrently with the main lift webs 40 and then securing the ends 46 ofthe vest straps 14 to the inner surface of the main lift webs 40,respectively. Preferably, the harness container 30 is manufactured toinclude the load distributing vest 10 as an integral component.

The foregoing descriptions and drawings should be considered asillustrative only of the principles of the invention. The invention maybe configured in a variety of shapes and sizes and is not limited by thedimensions of the preferred embodiment. Therefore, it is not desired tolimit the invention to the specific examples disclosed or the exactconstruction and operation shown and described. Rather, all suitablemodifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within thescope of the invention.

1-19. (canceled)
 20. A load distributing vest for use with a parachuteharness container that is in contact with a jumper's back when theharness container is worn, a main parachute and a reserve chute beingsecured within said container, said container including harnesscontainer straps that are worn across the jumper's shoulders to securethe container in position on the jumper's back, and lift webs connectedto parachute risers to support the jumper during descent, said loaddistribution vest comprising: an upper yoke and a pair of vest strapsextending outwardly from the yoke to respective vest strap ends, saidvest being attached to the harness container at a vest attachment pointand said vest straps extending generally parallel with said harnesscontainer straps and being in contact with the jumper's shoulders, backand chest, each of said vest straps being attached to said lift webs ata respective vest strap attachment point, a length of said loaddistributing vest from said yoke to said vest strap attachment pointsbeing less than a distance between said vest attachment point on theharness container and said vest strap attachment points on said liftwebs as measured from the harness container along said harness containerstraps so that load from said harness container is distributed acrossthe jumper's back, shoulders and chest by the load distributing vest.21. The load distributing vest as set forth in claim 20, wherein saidvest straps each include a length of load-bearing shoulder webbing, saidload-bearing shoulder webbing being that part of the vest straps that isattached to said lift webs at the vest strap attachment points.
 22. Theload distributing vest as set forth in claim 20, wherein said veststraps extend under said harness container straps and said lift webs.23. The load distributing vest as set forth in claim 22, wherein saidvest straps are kept in alignment with said lift webs by a guideelement.
 24. The load distributing vest as set forth in claim 23,wherein said guide element includes a guide panel on each of said liftwebs through which a respective vest strap passes.
 25. The loaddistributing vest as set forth in claim 21, wherein said vest includesan outer layer and an inner layer mounted on a bio-contoured pad, theinner and outer layers being made of a nylon fabric, said two lengths ofload-bearing shoulder webbing running a length of each vest strap,respectively, and across said upper yoke, said lengths of load-bearingshoulder webbing being secured to said outer layer.
 26. The loaddistributing vest as set forth in claim 25, wherein said outer layer ismade of high density foam and said inner layer is made of foam having adensity less than that of said outer layer for user comfort.
 27. Theload distributing vest as set forth in claim 20, wherein said loaddistributing vest includes an outer layer and an inner layer mounted ona bio-contoured pad made of multi-density foam material.
 28. Abio-contoured load distributing vest for use with a parachute harnesscontainer, comprising: a generally rectangular yoke configured to beattached to a parachute harness container, said yoke having an outeredge and a neck-facing edge; a pair of vest straps having proximal endsintegral with or connected to said yoke and extending outwardly fromadjacent the neck-facing edge of said yoke to vest strap distal ends; alength of load bearing webbing extending from adjacent the outer edge ofsaid yoke along a length of each vest strap, said load bearing webbinghaving a part that extends beyond the vest strap distal ends to formstrap extensions, said strap extensions being configured to be securedto the lift webs on either side of a parachute harness container, alength of said load distributing vest from said yoke to strap extensionattachment points at which said strap extensions are respectivelysecured to the lift webs is less than a distance between a vestattachment point on a harness container and the strap extensionattachment point on the lift webs as measured from the harness containeralong the harness container straps when said vest is attached to saidharness container so that load from said harness container isdistributed across a jumper's back, shoulders and chest by the loaddistributing vest.
 29. The bio-contoured load distributing vest as setforth in claim 28, wherein said yoke and said straps have a layeredconstruction with an inner foam layer, an outer layer and abio-contoured pad positioned between said inner and outer layers, saidouter layer including high density foam and said inner foam layer havinga density less than that of said outer layer for user comfort.
 30. Thebio-contoured load distributing vest as set forth in claim 29, wherein atotal thickness of said bio-contoured pad is between about ⅜th inch andabout one half inch.
 31. The bio-contoured load distributing vest as setforth in claim 28, wherein said vest straps extend under said harnesscontainer straps and said lift webs.
 32. The bio-contoured loaddistributing vest as set forth in claim 31, wherein said vest straps arekept in alignment with said lift webs by a guide element.
 33. Thebio-contoured load distributing vest as set forth in claim 32, whereinsaid guide element includes a guide panel on each of said lift websthrough which a respective vest strap passes.
 34. A method ofretrofitting an existing parachute harness container having harnessstraps and lift webs with a bio-contoured load distributing vest, saidvest having a yoke with an outer edge and a neck-facing edge, and twoload bearing vest straps with proximal ends integral with or connectedto said yoke and extending outwardly from adjacent the neck-facing edgeof said yoke to strap distal ends, said method comprising the steps of:attaching the yoke in an area adjacent said yoke outer edge to saidparachute harness container with said strap proximal ends extendingupwardly from said yoke neck-facing edge; aligning the vest straps torun generally parallel with said harness straps so that said vest strapdistal ends extend downwardly; and attaching the vest straps to the liftwebs on either side of the parachute harness container, each of saidvest straps being respectively attached at a vest strap attachment pointon said lift webs such that a length of said load distributing vest fromsaid yoke to said vest strap attachment points is less than a distancebetween a yoke attachment point on the harness container and said veststrap attachment points on said lift webs as measured from the harnesscontainer along said harness container straps so that load from saidharness container is distributed across the jumper's back, shoulders andchest by the load distributing vest.
 35. The method as set forth inclaim 34, wherein the step of aligning the vest straps includesretaining the vest straps in alignment with the harness straps using aguide element.
 36. The method as set forth in claim 35, wherein saidguide element includes a guide panel made to form a channel, the step ofretaining the vest straps including running said vest straps throughsaid guide panel channels to retain the vest straps in alignment withsaid harness straps.
 37. The method as set forth in claim 36, whereinsaid guide panel is positioned on an inner surface of said harnessstraps, said step of aligning the vest straps to run substantiallyparallel with said harness straps including running the vest strapsunder the harness straps.